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Sunday, June 7, 2009

New trouble in the Gosselin's nest: Animal cruelty complaints

First it was infidelity, then violations of Pennsylvania child labor laws, now animal cruelty complaints are dogging TV's Gosselin clan.

The Humane Society of Berks County investigated a dozen complaints alleging the Gosselins' German Shepherds, Nala and Shoka, were being abused. The complaints came after Jon Gosselin, star of the Jon & Kate Plus Eight reality series, told People magazine "the kids beat them up, climb on them, pull their tails, bite at them, drag them around and everything you can imagine not to do to an animal, they've done."

But the humane society Friday said it found "no reasonable basis for concern for the dogs," just a poor choice of words by Jon Gosselin.

Jon Gosselin issued the following statement in response to the charges:  

“I would like to clarify a recent statement I made regarding my family’s two German Shepherd puppies, Shoka and Nala. The statement – if taken literally and out of context – could be misinterpreted and I’d like to set the record straight. We understand the responsibilities of being good dog owners. Whenever my kids are with Shoka and Nala, everyone is carefully supervised to ensure that no one – dog or child – is injured. Shoka and Nala are loyal companions who we consider members of our family. We would never do anything to hurt them, and treat them with the respect and love that they deserve.”

For more read Reading Eagle's blog Thoughts on Paws.
Posted by Amy Worden @ 7:48 AM  Permalink | 9 comments
Comments   
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 8:19 AM, 06/07/2009
    it sounds like those who lodged complaints don't have children (and have not spent time around small children, especially around pets). small children aren't the best at making nice and sometimes their idea of playing with a pet include poking, pulling (at tails and ears), trying to drag them around, etc. Based on this, those who lodged complaints would have every dog/cat owner with small children (or who let small children near their pets) with animal abuse.
    — ol cranky
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:17 AM, 06/07/2009
    those idiots who lodged the complaints should be charged for exspenses of the investagation
    — rockyman63
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:44 AM, 06/07/2009
    What is wrong with you folks? The system worked. A person said his kids did all sorts of awful things to the dogs. People asked the local SPCA to check it out. They did. All was fine, the guy realized he used stupid words. No harm, no foul. People speak up to protect kids and animals and the agencies check it out. Not every single thing has to be right wing vs liberals. The system was in place for all of us and in this case worked fine.
    — JonKap
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:08 AM, 06/07/2009
    First three: You don't get it. Those dogs have neither the moral capability even toddlers do, nor to they have the means to politely make a point to the kids that they dislike their treatment. If your kid fails to treat an animal properly, swift punishment must be meted out. Especially with eight kids running around irritating the dogs, what happens if the dog snaps out of frustration? A lazy set of parents puts the dog(s) down because they were too incompetent to give the kid a quick swat on the backside and a good yelling-at when it could have worked. Rockyman: The producers of the show should deduct the cost of the investigation from their cast's salary, then shut the show down.
    — spd017
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 11:24 AM, 06/07/2009
    cats rule
    — sophwill
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 10:29 AM, 06/08/2009
    Those dogs can so "politely make a point to the kids". It involves those sharp little teeth. Why do you think we call them "canines"? When my daughters were little, they came to me once or twice complaining that the cat had bitten them, or scratched them. After making sure they had no serious injuries, I gently warned them not to do whatever they had done to the cat. "That's how she says 'no'."
    — JohnI
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:12 AM, 09/12/2009
    Thanks for sharing this article. I find it a little bit funny and odd. But anyway, we must also teach the children on how to treat animals fairly. Although they are not human beings, they are still needed to be treated with due respect. talking about Kate Gosselin, According to news that no one should care about, Playboy made an offer to Kate Gosselin to pose for the magazine. Kate Gosselin turned them down, but some people are holding out that she'll appear in Thrown off a Cliff to Rabid Hungry Wolverines and Grizzly Bears Monthly. (Or that she'll be thrown off a cliff to rabid hungry wolverines and grizzly bears.) She turned Hefner down flat, and instead of posing nude will be further exploiting her children and failed marriage (which failed due to her henpecking – let's be honest) for money. Since Kate Gosselin gets $75,000 per episode of the inane and utterly rotten show she's on, she won't need a payday cash loan anytime soon. (HTML deleted)
    — Lisa_P


9 comments
About Amy Worden
Amy Worden is a politics and government reporter for the Inquirer. In that capacity she has explored a range of animal issues from dog kennel law improvements and horse slaughter to the comeback of peregrine falcons and pigeon hunts. From hamsters to horses, animals have always been part of her life. To pass along a tip or contact Amy, click here.
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